


You Are My Sunshine

by caleyedoscope



Series: Arranged Marriage AU [2]
Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, K-pop
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Drama & Romance, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-06
Updated: 2016-01-06
Packaged: 2018-05-12 05:41:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5654518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caleyedoscope/pseuds/caleyedoscope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jaejoong uncovers some horrific news about the tragedy surrounding Yunho’s former wife. It threatens not only his relationship with Yunho and Haneul, but also the entire kingdom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jaejoong plans the party for Haneul’s fourth birthday. It’s as extravagant as Jaejoong himself, with guests from several of the surrounding kingdoms attending in the hundreds. Usually, parties for a birthday aren’t this big, but Jaejoong and Yunho had been talking about going on a trip and five seemed a good age to have a milestone celebration instead.

Haneul is very quiet for his age. He talks mostly to Yunho and Jaejoong, though also to Changmin and Yoochun, in a rich vocabulary for someone so young, but prefers to just listen when other people are near, and use one or two words to get his point across. Jaejoong’s not particularly worried about it, especially considering Haneul’s growing interest in books. Jaejoong can never read to him long enough, and they’ve graduated to less childish stories. His comprehension is far above other his age and Haneul is even recognizing letters now. Jaejoong thinks it won’t be long before he’ll just start to read by himself. It’s exactly what Jaejoong had done at that age. Even though they share no blood relation, it’s clear to anyone that pays the slightest bit of attention to them that Haneul is quite a lot like Jaejoong, in more ways than one.

Currently, he is standing by Changmin, holding his hand and pointing out the strange array of food laid out before him, asking careful questions before deciding what to put on his plate.

“Where is Yoochun?” Yunho’s voice comes from behind Jaejoong and a moment later an arm goes around his waist. It’s difficult to keep himself from melting into the warmth.

“Hovering near my family to make sure they don’t cause trouble.”

“Your family is always well behaved.”

“My immediate family, yes. My extended family is another story.”

None of them had visited the palace until now. Their countries may be side by side but they are both vast and it’s quite a trip, even on a plane. Not all of them had even made it there for the wedding.

But Jaejoong’s really just worried about one in particular. His uncle—formerly estranged and almost exiled—now back in the fold of the family for reasons Jaejoong’s father seems reluctant to speak of in public. Jaejoong has his questions all planned out, however, once they are alone. He’s quite stubborn. Until then, Jaejoong is going to try and put it out of his mind and enjoy the evening.

He has a sudden urge to kiss his husband and he reaches down to grab Yunho’s hand. “Come with me a moment.”

They make their escape while everyone is distracted by the sudden appearance of a new cart of beer, slipping behind a door and into an adjacent room, the sounds of the party muffled.

“What is it?” Yunho asks, “we can’t be gone long and you have a look in your eye.”

“I just want a kiss,” Jaejoong grumbles.

“Right. In the middle of your very important party. I see.”

“You just look so good.”

He looks _fantastic_. Honestly, Yunho in a suit is the sexiest sort of Yunho (unless it’s Yunho in absolutely nothing at all, but at the moment that isn’t possible.) His hair his perfectly coiffed and his face positively glowing. Jaejoong’s about to vibrate out of his skin with his desire. Usually he had better control than this, but his mouth is going dry as Yunho tugs him in close.

“Fortunately, I know better than to say no to you,” Yunho murmurs, and his voice is so low it feels like it reverberates around the entire room and Jaejoong’s pulse flutters, breath suddenly short as Yunho leans in, landing sweet kisses up Jaejoong’s neck before settling their mouths together, gently. 

_So fortunate_ , Jaejoong thinks, as one kiss becomes two and three and he gets his arms around Yunho’s waist, his head cupped in just the way he likes and he sighs as Yunho’s tongue slides between his lips, licks its way into his mouth. _So fucking fortunate_.

“There,” Yunho murmurs, pulling away. “Happy?”

“Mm.”

They’d moved to a wall, Jaejoong slumped against it and he grins, brushing his thumb across the slight flush of his husband’s cheeks. 

“The things I do for you.”

“You love me.”

That earns him another kiss. This one is more chaste, but the sentiment behind it— _I love you, I adore you, you’re mine_ —makes it one hundred times more difficult to pull away. “That I do. Now let’s rescue Changmin.”

Jaejoong’s hair needs to be combed back into place and Yunho’s shirt twisted back to his original spot, his bow tie straightened carefully. There is the problem of their obviously kissed lips, but hopefully their guests won’t think too much of it.

It takes them a long time to walk to their son, palms pressed together, fingers intertwined. They get waylaid by ministers and friends, drink an entire glass of champagne, and by the time they reach Changmin, Jaejoong’s starving. 

“Aeoo,” Haneul says, “Yummy duck!”

“Haneul, you ate duck?”

“Yes!” He frowns after a moment, “Garden duck?”

Jaejoong laughs. “No, it was not the ducks that live in the gardens.”

Haneul looks incredibly relieved. 

They eventually make it over to their table. They’d been eating as they could all night, most of the food set out on display for people to grab, but it’s nice to rest their feet and eat a solid few bites. Changmin brings it to them, Jaejoong insisting Changmin take a few bites everything he brings over and the prince revels in the smile he gets every time Changmin eats from Jaejoong’s fork.

“Are you going to feed me?” Yunho asks.

“Later,” Jaejoong promises, and waits until he sees a blush on Yunho’s cheeks before leaving a kiss on it. “I have it all planned out, you’re going to love it.” 

“ _Jaejoong_.”

“Remember that thing you wanted to try a few days ago?”

His husband lets out a little whimper and Jaejoong grins.

It’s still a little incredible to him that their random pairing has turned into something so wonderful: deep adoring love on both sides. Whenever he thinks of it, he’s still a little floored. “Haneul, have you said hello to my parents yet?”

Jaejoong had greeted them the second they had arrived, but Haneul had been with Changmin then and he’s pretty sure Changmin wouldn’t go to the royals unless he was with Jaejoong or Yunho. Haneul’s sudden silence is answer enough and Jaejoong gets to his feet, urging Haneul to stand. “Come on, let’s go say hello. They gave you a very generous gift and you need to thank them.”

Yunho kisses his son’s cheek, and Jaejoong raises an eyebrow when he doesn’t follow them. “My pants are a little tight,” he explains.

Jaejoong nearly falls over as he laughs. It attracts a lot of attention, but Jaejoong ignores them all, Haneul’s hand held tight in Jaejoong’s own as they make their way to where Jaejoong’s family is seated. Not all of his sisters came, but there are enough of them to make Haneul cling to Jaejoong’s leg as he’s swarmed with sloppy kisses and cheek pinches. “Enough, he’s too shy for all of you at once.”

Watching Haneul bow to Jaejoong’s parents makes Jaejoong’s heart swell with happiness, and he praises Haneul, excusing him to go back to sitting with Yunho. 

“He’s so much like you,” his mother says. “It’s incredible.”

“Is he?”

“You were shy and quiet, too, when you were that age. You loved your books, loved people to read to you. I can see that you’re worrying about him but you shouldn’t. He’ll be just fine.”

It’s the best thing Jaejoong’s heard all night.

They only chit chat, talking about more about Haneul, how they’ve been encouraging him to speak his mind, talking about Jaejoong’s publishing company thriving under his direction, a new book he’s been reading that he really loves. Burning on the tip of Jaejoong’s tongue are questions about his uncle, but he patiently waits before he feels like it’s the right time to ask. The crowd has dwindled, Yunho disappearing momentarily to put Haneul to bed, and Jaejoong feels like it’s right. 

“Mother,” he begins, “why is uncle here?”

He doesn’t need to clarify which uncle he means.

“Oh, Jaejoong,” his father says, “you don’t need to worry about that. Really.”

“Perhaps,” his mother starts, “ _perhaps_ Jaejoong ought to know.”

“Know what?”

“Nothing,” his father says.

“Well, now you need to tell me. I’m extremely curious.”

Curious, but not in a good way. He also has a sense of dread that usually accompanies every bit of news concerning his uncle. 

“I will not tell you. If you’d like to know, ask your uncle himself. The less I talk to him the better.”

_Than why on earth did you invite him to come along_? Jaejoong wonders, incredibly frustrated. He certainly hadn’t asked for his uncle’s presence here, but he’d been unable to say no when his mother had mentioned it.

“Fine. I’ll do just that.”

He’s not afraid of his uncle, especially not in his own palace, where one glance at a guard can have an army ready to protect him in seconds. But his uncle had never really gotten along with any of them, his ideas and policies he’d tried to implement completely off track from everything their kingdom upheld. Still, Jaejoong makes sure Yoochun sees him heading over to his uncle’s table, just in case.

“Nephew,” his uncle says, like it’s an insult, like he can’t bear to say Jaejoong’s name or title. That’s fine, because Jaejoong doesn’t really want to acknowledge the other’s name either. “Thank you so much for having me.”

“It was my mother’s idea,” Jaejoong says, “which is why I’m here. My father refuses to tell me why he even invited you.”

It’s incredibly rude. Yunho would probably be horrified but Jaejoong just wants to get his answer and then go away.

His uncle doesn’t seem fazed, however. His sly smile sends shivers down Jaejoong’s spine and he forces himself to stay put when his uncle stands. “Let’s go somewhere private, shall we?”

— 

There are several offices for Jaejoong throughout the palace. Most of them are just storage spaces for his books and business records and Jaejoong leads his uncle to one of them now, only feeling safe because Yoochun is following them. He isn’t even bothering to hide himself, though he ignore Jaejoong’s uncle completely and stands outside of the door as the two of them walk inside.

“You didn’t need a guard,” his uncle says.

“I’m a prince. I always need a guard.”

There’s wine and whiskey on a table, left there from whomever had used the room last and Jaejoong pours his uncle a glass of whiskey and himself a few sips of wine. He can hold his liquor but that doesn’t mean he should drink a lot. He doesn’t want it to be used as an excuse for anything. He wants to be completely in control one hundred precent. He doesn’t even take the wine glass in hand.

His uncle doesn’t seem to have such reservations, sipping the whiskey with obvious appreciation and Jaejoong immediately wishes he hadn’t poured anything. What a waste of a good drink. 

“Now tell me. What is this secret no one wants to speak of?”

“I’ve done a lot for you, Jaejoong, for your family. You don’t even know it. They don’t want you to know it. You speak of being a prince even though you’ve always been one, albeit of a different stature. Because you see, without me you’d still be a nameless ninth child of a broken kingdom posting selcas on the internet.”

Jaejoong wonders if his uncle is speaking loud enough for Yoochun to hear. He hopes so. “Excuse me?”

“It’s just politics, nephew. It’s just how the world works. You did not get where you are because of pure luck. Did you really believe that?”

His stomach is churning. He has a terrible feeling, a suspicion that his uncle may have done something unspeakably evil. “What did you do?”

“I see you’re starting to understand things. Wonderful. You’re right, of course, I had a hand in getting you where you are today. Of course, your parents didn’t know at the time. They hated me. You hated me. But I knew. I knew I could help the family get back where they needed to be, combine the two kingdoms and then take back my place at your father’s side.”

“No,” Jaejoong says, whispers, his throat hoarse, horror and realization slowly creeping in on him. He wouldn’t have, _couldn’t_ have.

More whiskey disappears down his uncle’s throat and he pours himself another liberal glass before continuing. Jaejoong wants to throw up.

“If you married the Jung heir, all would be well. The only problem was, of course, that Yunho was already married and expecting a child.”

His parents wouldn’t have allowed it. If this is what Jaejoong thinks, there is no way his family would agree to it. _It’s not true, it can’t be true._

“I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. You’re parents didn’t know, at the time. Like you, they thought they had been lucky. They couldn’t believe it.”

The room isn’t warm any longer. Ice is creeping in Jaejoong’s veins, his stomach a nanosecond away from expelling its contents and he knows the tears are going to come. It’s just a question of how long he can hold them off. _At least until he’s gone. I cannot show weakness in front of him. I cannot._

“What did you do?”

His uncle grins. “I killed her, obviously.”

Stories whirl in Jaejoong’s head. Yunho telling him labor started too early, that everything went wrong. Ara’s normal doctor falling ill, problems cropping up left and right, like the whole world had conspired against them. Not the whole world, Jaejoong thinks, just one man. 

“You sick freak.”

“But Jaejoong don’t you understand? All these wonderful things you have are because of me.”

“Fuck you. I cannot believe—I will have you arrested.”

“But you can’t, Jaejoong. Because if people find out you will lose everything. You will lose your title as prince, your husband, and your adopted son. Everything gone in the blink of an eye and you don’t want that to happen.”

“You don’t know me you goddamn psychopath. Get out.”

“No one wants a murderer for their king, nephew.”

He’s shaking, anger pushing ahead of his horror and Jaejoong hopes Yoochun heard everything. He hopes Yoochun was getting someone to tail his uncle. He hopes Yoochun knows where is Yunho because Jaejoong needs him. Now.

“Get out!” he screams. 

The door swings open and Yoochun’s standing there, darling, darling, Yoochun, who has always taken care of Jaejoong, always been there for him. He has his gun out. He isn’t pointing it anywhere, just held loosely in his hand but it gets the point across and his uncle stands. He reaches out, grasping Jaejoong’s shoulder and leaning in close. Jaejoong tastes bile, but he’s too shocked to move, trying too hard to not show his bleeding heart. His uncle smells terrible, his breath hot and gross on the side of Jaejoong’s neck and he has to shut his eyes when the foul feeling slides onto his lips.

“Don’t worry, nephew. I’ll be happy to take you in if they exile you.”

Yoochun’s there in a second, gun pressed to that wretched head and he says, low and quiet, “release him immediately.”

Jaejoong holds himself impeccably still, teeth clenched together as his uncle moves to the door at gunpoint. 

“Nephew—“

“Be quiet,” Yoochun orders, “and go. Don’t you dare run. We will find you.”

“Jaejoong won’t tell.”

The sound of his name makes Jaejoong jerk. He takes a deep breath, clenches his fists, and tries not to think of how different his voice sounds as he speaks, each word spoken slowly and with intense emphasis. “You do not fucking know me.” 

It takes a whole minute for Jaejoong to register the door closing, Yoochun setting down his gun, kneeling at Jaejoong’s feet, catching him as the prince tips forward, loses his balance. “Jaejoong? Jaejoong, you need to breathe.”

He’s trying, he’s trying to get air into lungs, but for some reason it doesn’t seem to be working. He can feel the tears, hot as they track down his cheeks, feels a dull pain as his knees hit the floor, skin burning where Yoochun grabs his arms and digs his nails in to hold onto him.

“Jaejoong, Jaejoong, please.”

His uncle is right. He’ll be stripped of his title, kicked out of the palace. And Yunho—he won’t be married to Yunho. He won’t ever see Haneul again. But even so. Even so, Jaejoong must tell him. Jaejoong loves him too much to keep silent. Jaejoong is nothing like his family, who could somehow eat dinner in front of the entire country knowing what his uncle had done. 

He throws up, his dinner and drinks emptying all over the floor and in a second he’s lifted. Jaejoong hadn’t even know Yoochun was strong enough to carry him. His friend is full of surprises, and that’s all Jaejoong has time to think before he’s heaving again (this time right into a toilet,) and he loses his thoughts for awhile, unable to think past the burning of his stomach and the rawness in his throat. When he comes to, his head is in Yoochun’s lap and it’s Changmin wiping carefully at his face, holding a tissue to his nose so he can blow it. He’s drenched in sweat, and he lets Yoochun undress him, rinsing him carefully in the shower. 

“Yunho?” Jaejoong croaks, as they dry him off, help him slip into comfortable clothes. His mouth tastes like vomit and bile.

“He’s coming. Changmin went to get him earlier but Haneul was screaming about not wanting to go to bed.”

“I need Yunho.”

“I know. He’ll be here soon. Wash out your mouth, Kim Jaejoong. ”

His hands are shaking and Changmin holds the cup to his lips. He doesn’t have the energy to swish, and Changmin seems to understand that, cupping Jaejoong’s cheeks gently to tip his head back and then let him spit in the sink. 

“Changmin, Changmin, my uncle—“

“I know. Yoochun told me.”

“You can’t let him escape.”

“We have people watching him. He’s in his rooms right now. He isn’t going anywhere.”

Good. Good, okay. Jaejoong slumps a little in relief. Whatever happens to him, his uncle must not get away. His uncle has to pay for this, must face justice and if that means Jaejoong loses everything, so be it.

They help him back to the couch and the mess he’d left there is gone; there isn’t even a lingering smell. Yoochun’s a miracle worker and Jaejoong curls into him, the scent and feel of his best friend providing an anchor as he tries to control his emotions.

Yunho’s words keep popping into his head: his frustration at Ara’s sudden death, his insecurity in explaining it to Haneul, the pain he’d experienced, in that one moment before she’d died. All of that is his uncle’s fault and it makes Jaejoong’s blood boil, his hands shake. Somewhere in the middle of Yoochun rocking him, the tears come again and he’s back to gasping for breath when Yunho finally comes in, eyes alight and panicked, practically diving for Jaejoong.

“Oh my god! Jaejoong. Jaejoong, sweet Jaejoong. Hush, oh god.”

Jaejoong thinks Changmin responds, but all he can really hear is Yunho, the beat of his heart, the whoosh of his breath against Jaejoong’s neck. He feels himself begin to calm, marginally. It will be fine. Everything is going to be just fine.

“Jaejoong, what happened? What is it?”

Someone else is talking, someone that sounds vaguely like Yoochun, and Jaejoong tries his best to form words, to protest because he needs to be the one to tell Yunho about his uncle. This has to come from Jaejoong’s mouth, it must. 

He’s not worried that Yunho will toss him aside, not worried that Yunho will blame him for Ara’s death. His husband, the love of his life, is far more sophisticated than that. But Jaejoong is worried about the people, about the ministers, about Yunho’s parents. He isn’t exactly sure how they will respond and he imagines it will be as terrible as his uncle had suggested. 

The thoughts clear his head a little, enough to listen to what is being said and he catches Yoochun saying, “Jaejoong should tell you what they talked about, but I can at least say that I walked his uncle out at gunpoint after he forced a kiss.” 

“ _What_?”

“I almost shot him,” Yoochun admits, “it was difficult to resist.”

The arms around Jaejoong tighten, just so. “I would have looked the other way.”

“Next time I won’t hesitate. But I’m honestly not sure what has upset Jaejoong more: the kiss or his uncle’s news.”

Jaejoong isn’t sure either. Both things have him wanting to simultaneously punch something and sink into the floor in abject despair. He’s strong, he knows he’s strong, but everyone has their breaking point. Apparently, this is his.

“Water,” he croaks.

Yoochun holds the cup to his lips and Jaejoong isn’t even embarrassed when he accidentally spills half of it, too exhausted to care. He lets them change him into yet another t-shirt because of that, and after Yunho presses a very gentle kiss to his mouth (erasing all traces of his uncle, making him forget the feel of those other unwelcome lips,) Jaejoong thinks he’s ready to talk.

The words come slow at first, halting, as he tries to think back through the haze of his disgust and anger. Then they pour out of him, not just what he’d been told but Jaejoong’s own musings, his own recollections of things Yunho had told him that corroborate the story.

Yunho’s silent throughout, though at the end a few tears slip out and he’s whispering, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry he unloaded that on you, I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“I’m the one that’s sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. Jaejoong.” Yunho grasps his face, gaze earnest and so lovely. “I don’t blame you for this. Not at all. I know you. I know you would never do something so foul. Please understand that.”

“I wasn’t worried you would think that. I wouldn’t ever be worried about that.”

It’s a blessing this happened several years after their marriage and not several days or several weeks. Still, it’s worth sinking back into his arms, seeking another kiss, a reassuring kiss, and Jaejoong sighs into it. He should take his kisses while he can, in case their future holds despair. 

“I don’t know how, but we’ll fix this. We’ll figure it out.”

“I’m not sure your parents or the ministers are going to make that easy, or even agree with us at all. My uncle was right in one thing: no one wants a murderer for a monarch.”

“You didn’t murder her.”

“No, but we’re related and to a lot of people that means I am just as guilty.”

“I will not let this end what we have. Yes, I am very angry Ara was taken from me and I will exact justice as I see fit. But you are something good that came out of that. You are part of me and I love and trust you dearly. Nothing is going to change that. You’re strong, Jaejoong. We’ll get through this.”

Strong. Yes, Jaejoong is strong. He’s fierce and loyal and certainly not to be trifled with. But this—this is unexpected. This is something he’s not sure he can handle. This is all new territory and even with Yunho here, reassuring him, his panic isn’t truly subsiding. 

“Trust me?” Yunho asks.

Jaejoong rests his head back on Yunho’s shoulder. “Always.”


	2. Chapter 2

Yunho is worried sick.

Rumors are circling through the palace, most of them unfounded, but fueled by a few servants that had seen Yunho storming through the halls to speak to Jaejoong’s parents and then his uncle. Those had both been very interesting conversations, though the one with Jaejoong’s uncle had mostly just been Yunho threatening him within an inch of his life until Yunho decides how to handle it all.

Jaejoong’s parents could not believe their son had even said anything. For all that they profess to know him, they clearly do not. That, or Jaejoong has truly changed in the time he’s been with Yunho. “But he loves you,” Jaejoong’s mother had said, tears in her eyes, “and your son. Why would he throw that all away?”

“He told me _because_ he loves me,” Yunho had said, and left supremely unimpressed. 

But that is not why Yunho is worried. His distress is mostly because of Jaejoong.

His husband has always been resilient. But this problem seems to have brought him down for the count, and Yunho can only hope it’s temporary.

Jaejoong is ill, throwing up almost everything he tries to eat, barely able to keep down even the smallest sips of water and spoonfuls of porridge rice. Yunho tends to him, as best he can, but it’s been days and people are starting to notice. Jaejoong’s always up and walking around the palace, never away from his office or work this long.

Yunho’s mother tries to stop by, and thankfully Yunho is there to turn her away because Changmin wouldn’t have been able to disobey her.

“Yunho, everyone is so worried.”

“I know. But it’s best if you don’t see him right now.”

“You’ve put his uncle under house arrest and his parents seem petrified of everything now. You must explain what is going on. You aren’t trying to hide it, are you?”

“Of course not. I just want to know everything before I make any announcements.”

“Darling, you can trust us.”

Yunho very nearly snorts. He knows for a fact his parents are not going to be pleased and will probably try to convince him to divorce Jaejoong once they find out. It’s going to be a serious uphill battle and Yunho’s still working out exactly what he’s going to say. This is not something that he can wing.

“Please don’t worry, mother. I’ll call for a press conference soon.”

“You must tell us before then. I have a feeling we’re going to need to be prepared.”

“Yes, of course,” Yunho says, “I’ll tell Jaejoong you stopped by to see him.”

“Hmm,” his mother says, lips thinned, and sweeps away, a few of her servants scurrying after her.

Yoochun’s waiting, just inside of the door. “That didn’t sound so good.” 

“This is going to be a shit storm.”

Yunho makes a beeline for their bedroom, and he finds Jaejoong sleeping, Changmin standing, disinfectant and rag in his hands. “He threw up again, missed the bin.”

Yunho’s stomach twists. “I’m sorry.”

“This isn’t your fault. I told you that we’d take care of him when you’re not here. Though now that you are I’m going to try and get some shut eye in before morning.”

“Take Yoochun with you. I’ll be fine for the night. Is Haneul in bed?”

“Yes. He had a fit because we wouldn’t let him see Jaejoong but he’s since fallen quiet.”

“Can you send the doctor here? If Jaejoong can’t keep anything down then we need to give him an IV.”

“I’ll do it right now.”

Yunho peeks his head into his son’s room after Changmin leaves and finds Haneul wrapped angrily in blankets, tear tracks still wet on his face. Haneul might be able to fake sleeping for other people but Yunho knows him too well. He takes a moment to wipe at his son’s cheeks and kiss his forehead. “Haneul, go to sleep.”

“I am asleep!”

“You need your rest.”

“I want to be with you!”

“You can sleep with us once Jaejoong is feeling better. Right now you need to keep up your strength so you can be good for Changmin and Yoochun. Okay? I need my best buddy to help me out.”

The tears are coming back, Yunho can see them shining in Haneul’s eyes and he reaches out again lifting his son up to give him a proper hug. 

“I want to be with Aeoo,” Haneul says.

“Aeoo is really sick. You have to stay away for now, I’m sorry. But it won’t be for long, I promise. As soon as he’s feeling better you can smother him with all the attention you want.” 

“I can make Aeoo better.”

“Oh, Haneul, you can definitely cheer him up when no one else can. But he needs other medicine right now.”

As soon as he says it, there’s a knock at the door of their chambers. Leaving Haneul means either a tantrum of monstrous proportions or him running straight to Jaejoong, so Yunho hefts him on his hip and glances through the peep hole. It’s there for security purposes but Yunho usually never uses it. These last few days though, he can’t be too careful.

The doctor looks like he’d been woken, but Yunho doesn’t apologize because he’s the royal doctor and this is his job. He agreed to this, is paid obscene amounts of money for this, and so the prince just steps aside and lets him into the bedroom. He stays a good distance away, mostly because he doesn’t want Haneul to wiggle out and jump on Jaejoong. 

His husband wakes briefly as the doctor checks him over, and for a moment he has a look of panic on his face before he catches Yunho’s eye and sees Haneul and is most likely realizing he isn’t being ambushed in the dead of night.

The IV is attached without any trouble and Yunho shoos the doctor out, telling him to come back in the morning to give Jaejoong a full check up. Haneul had long since fallen asleep in Yunho’s arms and he tucks his son back into his bed before laying down beside Jaejoong, carefully holding his hand as they press together, side by side.

“Go back to sleep. I just want to make sure dehydration wouldn’t make you feel even worse.” 

“Thank you.” Jaejoong lets his head fall against Yunho’s shoulder. “My knight in shining armor.”

“Just get better. I need you.”

“Ah, Yunho-yah. This may end with me getting—“

“You watch your mouth. You are not going anywhere. Nothing is going to happen to you. Nothing between us is going to change.”

“Ever the optimist.”

Yunho can’t help it. Mindful of the IV, he manages to get his arms around Jaejoong to hold him close. He feels so frail, like if Yunho holds him too tight Jaejoong’s bones will crack and his muscles disintegrate. It breaks his heart. “Rest. Just rest, love.”

Hopefully, everything will all be over soon.

— 

Except that Jaejoong does not get better. He doesn’t get worse, necessarily, but hour after hour of watching him suffer has Yunho in a very bad mood.

They release a statement to the press that Jaejoong had indeed fallen ill with the flu and that keeps the media off their back. But there’s no denying the rumors floating around the palace that Yunho is investigating an incident. There’s no hiding the guards outside his uncle’s door, either.

Yoochun and Changmin do a wonderful job of containing everything while simultaneously compiling information for an official case. They’ve always gone above and beyond in their duties but Yunho intends to grant them a simultaneous vacation and pay for it all himself. Send them somewhere warm and away from all of this stress, once it’s over.

Despite his best efforts, Haneul does eventually manage to climb into bed with Jaejoong. Yunho had been distracted, sifting through work with Changmin, and had looked up in the middle of writing a press release to see Haneul curled into Jaejoong, the two of them talking in quiet voices. Jaejoong isn’t smiling, but he looks slightly more relaxed than he had earlier in the day and Yunho doesn’t have it in him to be upset. 

After that, Haneul can be found with Jaejoong more often than he can with anyone else and if Yunho wasn’t so relieved at it cheering Jaejoong up, he’d be jealous.

By the time the weekend roles around, Yunho has his strategy all planned out. He makes a few calls to set up the press release and then goes to see his parents.

The conversation goes as well (as horribly,) as he had expected.

“Darling,” his mother says, “you must divorce him at once.”

“We cannot have a murderer in the royal family,” his father spits, already red in the face, “I can’t believe he never said anything, this is a disgrace.”

“I don’t think you heard me,” Yunho sighs, surprised with the amount of patience he has, “Jaejoong had nothing to do with this.”

“He needs to take responsibility.” His mother turns to his father, “I told you we couldn’t trust his family.”

“His family didn’t know. Are you listening to me at all? He was an estranged uncle who planned it all on his own. He confessed to that, his family has proof they had nothing to do with it. And I both love and trust Jaejoong. I’m not asking you to step in on this. I’m not asking you to make decisions. I’ve already done everything, including the preliminary work for a trial. Your help is neither wanted or required.”

“Darling,” his mother starts. Yunho really hates it when she calls him that.

“No. I will be announcing that we have arrested him and then we will begin the legal process to see that justice is done.”

“You cannot—“ His father blusters.

“I can. This is my family we’re taking about here. My son. My husband. My _deceased_ wife. It’s my problem. The decision is made.”

“His family has a murderer in it! They’ve ruined this family, our family, Yunho. We can’t associate with them or their country.”

The patience is gone. Yunho stands, fists clenched, jaw twitching. “Shall I look into other families then, father? Shall I start kicking out everyone that has a criminal in their bloodline? Shall I look into _our_ ancestry?”

His father gapes.

“That’s what I thought. As I said earlier, this was only a courtesy. The decision has been made and you will live with it. Please refrain from speaking on my behalf to any press, as you clearly do not understand my position at all.”

Their relationship will not get better after this, Yunho is almost positive of that. Granted, his relationship with his parents had never really been that good, but this will probably end all hope of them ever being close. He had expected that though, and almost predicted their reactions word for word.

He’s suddenly exhausted, walking back to his rooms. Thankfully, Changmin is there waiting for him. “Watch my parents,” he says, “make sure they don’t talk to anyone until after I make the announcement later on today.”

“I can’t arrest your parents.”

“Just watch them. Stall them if they look like they’re going somewhere. Tell me if they get past you so I can stop them in time.”

They have three hours, plenty of time for things to go awry, but Yunho’s pretty sure his parents will spend that time in despair, wondering where they went wrong and probably (hopefully,) mentally preparing themselves for what is to come.

Jaejoong is still curled up on the bed, Haneul sleeping beside him. Next to an incredibly healthy four year old, Jaejoong looks even more sick than he is, pale and weak, with bags under his eyes the color of eggplant. On some strange impulse, Yunho reaches for his phone and takes a picture. Maybe for evidence, maybe for just himself, in case he forgets why he’s fighting, why he has to make sure Jaejoong gets better.

“Appa?”

“Hey, baby. I need to talk to Aeoo for a little while. Can you go get out your toys?”

Aeoo is always Haneul’s first choice, but he certainly isn’t going to say no to his cars and blocks. “Play quietly, please.” Yunho still vividly remembers that one time Haneul had taken out his cars and his excited screaming had brought half the palace running.

It’s easy to slip into bed beside Jaejoong, and quite comforting after the disaster with Yunho’s parents. He’d mentioned where he was going earlier that day and now Jaejoong puts his arm around Yunho’s waist and rests his head in Yunho’s lap.

“They weren’t particularly receptive, were they?” Jaejoong asks.

His voice is still scratchy and raw from throwing up so often and Yunho slides a hand over Jaejoong’s throat, gentle. “No. I imagine the press conference will be even worse. But I don’t want you to worry about that. I’ve made my decision and it’s not going to change.”

“I know.”

 _I just want you to be safe. I don’t want you to jeopardize this country._ Yunho knows Jaejoong’s thinking that, but he’s smart enough to leave it alone.

“The one liner you gave me about looking into our own family history really cowed my parents. I’ll probably use it on the ministers and the press too. That should shut them up.”

No one can say their family is entirely free of law breaking, after all. There’s always at least one person, and thankfully, their punishment remains with them and does not affect anyone else. But that’s always difficult to remember when on the warpath. Yunho’s pretty confident in his ability to remind them all.

“I love you. Know that.”

“Couldn’t possibly forget it,” Jaejoong rasps, and this time Yunho leans down to kiss him, intent on saving his voice where possible. “Stay,” Jaejoong pleads anyway, “until you have to get ready to go.” 

They can’t really make out, not with Haneul playing so close to them, but Yunho steals a few more kisses before falling asleep.

He wakes to Changmin shaking his shoulder and the sounds of Haneul giggling off to one side. Yunho turns to Haneul first and smiles, when he sees his son landing kisses on Jaejoong’s cheek. 

“It’s time for the press conference, sire. You should change and freshen up. I’ll be outside if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Changmin. I’ll be out in a minute.”

He waits until Changmin is gone before cupping Jaejoong’s cheek and kissing him before his son can get in anymore.

“Be safe.”

“I’ll be fine. No one is going to hurt the crown prince.”

“I don’t think I’ll survive without you.”

“You won’t have to do that. I’ll be back as soon as it’s done, I promise.”

They manage another kiss before Haneul wiggles in between them and demands Jaejoong’s attention. Yunho uses the distraction to change into a rather impeccable suit, to style his hair just so, and fasten on a tie with the royal crest print. He looks every inch a prince and Jaejoong blows him a kiss, since Haneul is still monopolizing him.

“Be back soon,” Yunho promises and sweeps out the door.

 

— 

 

The press conference is a train wreck. 

The explanation of events are hardly out of Yunho’s mouth before chaos reigns, and he waits patiently for the screaming reporters to quiet down, for the bulbs flashing left and right to slow. It takes quite a few minutes for everyone to realize he isn’t going to answer their questions until he’s done with his speech.

“I understand,” he continues, “that a lot of you are upset. That’s fine. But I ask that you please direct your anger and frustration to where it’s deserved. Neither Jaejoong or his family had anything knowledge of this before or after the attack. Jaejoong only just found out a few days ago, after he forcefully pressed his uncle for it. We do not blame the family for one member’s sin, not in this country. They have been cleared of all wrong doing in this matter and that is the end of it. Any slanderous or libelous material that is published will be prosecuted to the highest extent of the law, especially if there is any particular mention of Jaejoong. 

“I do realize you’re journalists, I know you want the whole story and I intend on giving it to you. All of my findings that can be legally passed on to you will be, and then you may write, sans any slander, as I mentioned. I consider Jaejoong family, as you know. I consider him something good that came out of a terrible situation. I _love_ him. If you have an issue with that, than you can leave the country.”

That seems to get their attention, fingers clicking on keyboards, pens scratching furiously against paper. 

“But _even so_ ,” a voice calls out, “surely he is held to different standards as a future monarch?”

“Surely Jaejoong must have at least had an inkling of his uncle’s motives.” Another voice, not even bothering with Jaejoong’s title. 

Yunho isn’t quick enough to pin point either source and he frowns. He’ll have to do something about them later. “It has always been the practice of this country and court to hold royalty to the same standards as the citizens. If you want me to hold Jaejoong responsible for the crimes a family member committed, than the same will have to be true for all of you. I looked into this, before I came here today, and quite a few of this country’s population has someone in their immediate family that has committed a crime and is either in jail for it or been executed. Would you like me to arrest their families as well? Execute a large number of people because of someone else’s transgressions?”

As Yunho had expected, he is met with silence. “I am not tyrant and I don’t ever plan to be. I would hope that you wouldn’t want that either. This country may have played host to such evils at one point time, but we have evolved and we have learned better. I am not going to pick up such a nasty habit after all the work we have done to make this country as great as it is.

“I know you still have a lot of questions, but I ask that you hold them until I release my findings. Thank you.”

There’s a deafening clamor of voices as he leaves, which he had expected despite asking the reporters to keep their questions to themselves. They are just doing their jobs, after all. “Changmin,” he beckons, and his aide is at his side in a second. “Find whomever asked that question about Jaejoong and get him fired. If his company complains, tell them it’s that or a long and very expensive lawsuit. And then make sure everyone knows about it.”

“Yes, sire.”

Once he thinks he’s alone, Yunho takes a moment to barricade himself in a room. He closes his eyes, takes several deep breaths and tries to get his anger and frustration under control. He doesn’t want to take it out on Jaejoong or Haneul and so he doesn’t leave until he feels moderately calm again.

Yoochun’s waiting for him just outside. 

“I didn’t even see you following me.”

“That just means I’m doing my job right,” Yoochun says. “Are you feeling better?”

“As well as I can, considering. Is Jaejoong awake?”

“Yes. Haneul’s with him.”

Yunho picks up the pace, pleased to find Jaejoong sitting up with Haneul when Yunho finally walks through the door. But the happy feeling dies when he notices Jaejoong’s stiff face and the tears on his son’s face.

“Haneul-ah,” he croons, sitting next to them both, reaching out to lift his son onto his lap and managing to land a kiss on Jaejoong’s pale cheek.

“I was watching the broadcast,” Jaejoong explains. “I told him to stay in his room but I couldn’t really get up to enforce that. He heard everything, I’m so sorry.”

Irritation flares, though not with Jaejoong, but now doesn’t really seem the time to address disobedience. Haneul had seen Yunho on television, heard him talking about Jaejoong and honestly, Yunho can’t blame him for wanting to listen.

“Why does everyone hate Aeoo?” Haneul asks.

“Nobody hates me,” Jaejoong huffs.

Yunho kisses his son’s head. “Let me get something.”

They’ve never hid anything about Ara from Haneul. Neither of them had wanted that, and so when Yunho walks over with the picture of himself and Ara, his son knows exactly who she is. 

“Mama,” he says, looking at Yunho for approval. Haneul traces Ara’s face carefully with the tip of his finger.

“Yes. Haneul, do you remember Aeoo’s family at the banquet?”

“Changmin said a bad word about them.”

Yunho sighs. That’s not important at the moment, though, so he soldiers on. “Jaejoong’s uncle did a terrible thing.”

Haneul’s idea of bad things are quite different from that of an adult’s, but Yunho does his best to explain the situation in a way a four year old could understand. He doesn’t use the word murder, but to Haneul’s credit (or perhaps it’s to Jaejoong’s credit,) the young prince seems to understand. 

“Aeoo is the best,” Haneul says, and scrambles off of Yunho’s lap to plant himself onto Jaejoong like a barnacle. “Mama would think so, too.”

“Thank you,” Jaejoong says, “that makes me so happy to hear.”

— 

The next day, Jaejoong gets out of bed. He sits in window seat so he has a gentle breeze and actually picks up a book, watching as Haneul amuses himself with his toys and Yunho works furiously on all of the paperwork. He really wants to hand Jaejoong’s uncle over to his family but he knows he can’t do it. Jaejoong’s family hadn’t said anything, after all, and Yunho’s not sure they’d really punish him as Yunho wants to make sure he is punished: harshly. 

He’s in the middle of trying to word his thought process a little better when he hears Jaejoong heave a frustrated sigh. “Yunho, help me back to the bed.”

Yunho’s there in a second, frowning. “What’s wrong? Are you cold? I can get you another blanket, you need the sunshine.”

“I’m not cold. But I can see the press with their super long lenses trying to take pictures of me and it’s irritating.”

For a moment, Yunho almost flips the reporters off, he’s so angry. But Jaejoong’s holding out his arms expectantly and so Yunho channels his anger into strength and lifts Jaejoong bridal style, pleased when it makes Jaejoong blush and Haneul shriek excitedly. It’s much more satisfying than rude hand gestures.

Even so, the reporters needs to be addressed. His husband is still sick.

He takes out his phone after Jaejoong’s propped up against his pillows and hands it to him. “Put in your password for the thingy.”

“What?”

“For Twitter.”

Jaejoong’s eyebrow raising is still quite on point even though he is this ill. “Are you going to post something?”

Yunho pouts.

“Fine,” Jaejoong says, and the corners of his mouth twitch, like he had almost thought to smile.

Yunho does post things, now and then. He differentiates his tweets by adding his initials, which Jaejoong says is silly because it takes away from his character count, but Yunho doesn’t care. He wants people to know the difference between himself and Jaejoong, and even with those few less characters, he always manages to say what he wants.

He first attaches the photo he’d taken of Jaejoong and Haneul earlier that week, and then carefully types `A photo, since that's what you all seem to want so bad. He's still very sick but lots of love and kisses go a long way. -JY`, hitting send before Jaejoong can stop him. He then adds to it, `PS, please stop taking pictures through our window. Jaejoong wants to get some sunshine without worrying about his hair :)` Very diplomatic, he thinks. Not a word about their situation or how he wants to arrest them all for invading their privacy. Hopefully they’ll get the idea.

“I knew you’d get the hang of it,” Jaejoong tells him, curling into his side.

“Don’t get used to it,” Yunho huffs, and moves in for a kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

There’s perhaps a week of peace.

Yunho’s completed all his documents and has scheduled another press conference to get them a few bullet points and hand out his papers.

Jaejoong, though weak as he is, has begun to feel a bit antsy. He can’t hold Haneul, and while he can walk around the room without help, he needs support if he tries to go any longer. The doctor had apologized a million times over for not knowing what illness had taken over Jaejoong but Yunho’s pretty sure it’s mostly exhaustion and stress over the entire situation. Jaejoong is inclined to agree. He’s feeling better as things begin to work out and while he won’t be his normal self for awhile, he certainly doesn’t plan on getting any worse.

“Aeoo, I am hungry.”

“Changmin’s bringing us food.”

“I could eat a whole cow,” Haneul pouts.

“A whole cow? Your stomach would get so big.”

Haneul laughs as Jaejoong gesticulates with this hands and then ends up landing kisses all over him. “Food is coming,” he promises. “Do you want to play a game while we wait?”

“Sing to me!” Haneul demands.

Jaejoong’s really not up for singing. “Maybe when I’m feeling better,” he offers. “But I’ll read to you if you want. Something short.”

Sometimes Jaejoong goes all out when he reads, using different voices and wild gestures. But today he just curls in close to Haneul and they read fairytales together. Haneul seems to know that he isn’t going to get his usual show but he seems totally fine with that. 

Their moment is quiet and sweet and so naturally doesn’t last very long.

Jaejoong hears Yunho coming down the hallway arguing with someone and hopes he’s got his temper under control by the time he gets to the bedroom. If it isn’t, he masks it well when he catches sight of Haneul and he kisses Haneul almost as many times as Jaejoong had earlier.

“Appa, I’m hungry!”

“Changmin’s coming with food. Why don’t you go use the toilet and then wash your hands?”

Haneul scrambles for the bathroom.

“What happened?” Jaejoong asks, when the door closes. The cloud of anger comes back and Yunho frowns as he crawls onto the bed.

“Your uncle. He somehow managed to contact a paper and told them you planned it with him.”

“ _What_?”

“I stopped it before it got out, thank god. The reporter called Changmin against his bosses wishes and then got fired for it. The paper gave it to someone else to write but thankfully we stopped it in time.”

“Hire that reporter.”

“That’s what Changmin said too. We’ll find something for him to do.”

“I want to meet him.”

“Once you’re feeling better.”

“And the publication?”

“They’re to issue a public apology to you and until then, they will not receive any of my findings and they will not be allowed into any press conferences.”

“Wow.”

“I gave fair warning.”

They have time for a quick kiss and then Changmin’s wheeling in a cart of food. Nothing too decadent or greasy for Jaejoong—he’s happy with kimchi and rice and a little roasted chicken. But there’s lots more for Haneul, who’s recently started developing a serious interest in the different types of food. Jaejoong lets Yunho deal with it and beckons to Changmin.

“I don’t care what this one tells you,” he says, pointing at Yunho, “I want to meet that reporter as soon as I can.”

“Yes, your majesty. Perhaps when you’re feeling better.”

“Don’t undermine me, Shim Changmin.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Let me know when you want him and I’ll escort him here. Perhaps when you can stand on your own, for a time.”

“When I can…” Jaejoong huffs, unable to finish.

“Remind me to give you a raise,” Yunho says.

“Yes, sire.”

“Don’t encourage him, Yunho.”

“He’s the only one smart enough to stand up to you. I’m going to encourage him all day long.”

Had Jaejoong the energy, he’d snap his teeth. But he has a meal to finish and maybe once he’s feeling better he can get his revenge.

Jaejoong finishes long before Haneul is done and he takes that time to wash. Changmin takes over with Haneul and Yunho helps Jaejoong into the shower. He’d put a fierce ban on baths without him there, afraid Jaejoong might accidentally drown without strength to hold himself upright. Jaejoong doesn’t complain because even sitting up so the hot spray of the shower can get at him is exhausting.

“I was thinking,” Yunho murmurs, as he slathers body wash onto Jaejoong and scrub away the sweat and grime that had been clinging to his skin, “that maybe we should go away for awhile. A trip somewhere. Maybe visit Junsu and his islands.”

Junsu doesn’t technically own any islands. But as Yunho’s cousin he’s as wealthy as the royals, though unfortunately, all of his family had passed on save for his brother. The council, for a time, had been worried about Junsu trying to steal the throne, but when Yunho had confided this to him, Junsu had only laughed. He and his brother packed up their things the next day and flown to Tahiti. They’d used their money to purchase half the crumbling resorts and rebuild them and they now own quite a lot of land not only on Tahiti itself, but its surrounding islands as well: Moorea, Tahaa, Tupai, Bora Bora.

“That sounds really nice.”

“I think some sunshine and privacy will really do you good. We deserve some downtime.”

“We do. Let’s go as soon as I’m feeling stronger. I want to be able to walk when I get there.”

“I’ll call Junsu tonight.”

Yunho’s body is warm, even under the spray of hot water and Jaejoong curls into it as Yunho washes his hair. His husband sneaks a few kisses onto whichever parts of Jaejoong’s body he can reach and then they’re done, standing and drying off.

Someone had set out clean clothes for both of them, and Jaejoong’s feeling slightly more energetic as they dress. “Should I carry you out?” Yunho asks.

“No,” Jaejoong says, “I’ll walk to the bed.”

Still, Yunho hovers, and it’s a good thing, because as soon as Haneul catches sight of them, he barrels into Jaejoong’s legs and he topples right into Yunho’s arms. “Haneul,” Yunho scolds, before Jaejoong can even take a breath.

“Sorry, sorry. You looked happy I just—sorry, Aeoo.”

“It’s okay. Lets go lay down and then we can cuddle, I promise.”

Jaejoong doesn’t realize he’s smiling until Yunho touches his mouth gently. “That’s nice,” he says, “I’ve missed the sight of that.”

“I’ve been smiling.”

“Not like this. This one is different.”

“What’s different, Aeoo?”

“Let’s get on the bed.”

They all get under the covers, though Yunho stays upright, because Changmin walks into the room just as they’re getting settled, laptop in hand. It means there’s business for Yunho, but Jaejoong is loathe for him to leave and he hangs doggedly onto Yunho’s arm so that Changmin has to come to them.

“What is it?”

“A fansite.”

“A what now?” Yunho frowns.

“A site for all of your husband’s fans, your majesty.”

The computer is plopped onto Yunho’s lap and they both lean in to the screen to read it while Haneul starts to sing to himself. Jaejoong’s surprised (and quite pleased) to see a message board full to brimming with support. “Should I reply to them?”

“Definitely not on here or to anyone specifically. But maybe a general post on your blog or twitter thanking people for their support.

Jaejoong can see how that would be good. They haven’t done that yet. He hasn’t been on his blog since this debacle started and it might be a good time for that. “Take a picture of Haneul and I,” he tells Yunho.

This one is much better than the last photo Yunho had taken of them. They’re both awake and smiling, and when Jaejoong looks at it, sees that he seems a hundred times more healthy than he had in the other one, though certainly not as good as he usually appears. In the one Yunho had posted, Jaejoong had looked dead, and it’s hard to get worse than that.

“I’m posting this one,” Jaejoong says, “who knows what you’ll say.”

“Hey, my thing was perfectly polite.”

“It was extremely passive aggressive and you know it. Give me the phone.”

A thank you is better coming for him direct, Jaejoong knows. And Yunho knows it too, because he stops grumbling when Jaejoong kisses his cheek.

“What are you typing?” Yunho huffs.

“Thank you for the support and love and sorry that my silly husband posted such a horrifying picture of me earlier in the week.”

“You are not. Don’t say that!”

“Too late.” He’s already hit the send button. 

“I’m not silly,” Yunho says.

He’s definitely pouting now, his cheeks puffed out and the exact opposite of his usual princely image. It’s adorable and Jaejoong just has to kiss him again. “Just a little,” Jaejoong says, “right, Haneul?”

“Appa is silly,” Haneul agrees.

“Don’t worry. They know I love you.”

— 

Since the party, Jaejoong hasn’t laughed. He’s smiled here and there, but he really hasn’t been happy. It happens, finally, when they wake the next morning and Jaejoong starts scrolling through the news on his iPad. Yunho’s in the bathroom shaving, but as soon as the headline sinks in and Jaejoong bursts out laughing, his husband comes running. 

“ _That’s what they got out of it_?” Jaejoong wheezes. 

“What?” Yunho asks.

“They think. Because. Your ‘silly’. Beds.”

“What?” Yunho says, slow.

But Jaejoong’s incapable of speaking for laughing, and Yunho plucks the iPad from his slack hands. 

“‘ _Crown Prince and Consort No Longer Sharing A Bed_.’ What. How did— _what_?”

Jaejoong gasps for air. He can’t handle it. Of all the things they get out of Jaejoong calling Yunho silly, it’s _this_.

“Okay,” Yunho puts the device away. “I’m going to finish shaving now.”

When Jaejoong can finally breathe again, Yunho comes back neat and trim. He looks unsure, like he can’t decide if he should be angry or not, and so Jaejoong solves it for him, tugging him under the covers and producing his phone. “Kiss me,” he directs, and snaps a photo, smiling bright with Yunho’s lips pressed to his cheek.

“My turn to type,” Yunho says.

`We’re not sleeping in separate beds. But thank you for that anyway, you made Jaejoong laugh for the first time in weeks`. 

“Thank you?”

“I can’t be upset at something that made you laugh. You haven’t laughed since…it’s been awhile. I’m glad.”

When Jaejoong checks twitter again in an hour, he can’t believe the number of times the photo has been retweeted. He’d tell Yunho but he’s pretty sure his husband doesn’t care and won’t even understand. So instead he eats a little more and smiles a little harder because that will please Yunho more than any number of retweets ever could.

— 

They call Junsu together.

“Hyung!” Junsu sounds wonderful, even through the phone. Yunho’s missed him. “Hyung, are you alright? Should I fly home to punch some people? Noona says she’ll get out her gun,” he laughs loud and crazy for a moment, “she says she’d love to shoot off some dicks! I’ll help!”

“No punching, no shooting dicks. I’m calling because Jaejoong and I were thinking of getting away for awhile, with Haneul. Bring him somewhere sunny to heal.”

“Here? When? I can have a house ready in a few hours!”

“Once he’s able to walk a bit more. A few days, I think.”

“Hyung, that’s no good at all. You’re getting on a plane and coming here as soon as possible. My sunshine will have him walking around in no time!”

“Your sunshine, huh? Did you buy the sun and not tell me?”

“Don’t make me come and fetch you, Jung Yunho. You know what, never mind. Put Jaejoong on the phone right now.”

Jaejoong grabs the phone before Yunho can say something untoward. “I’m right here. We’ll be on a plane tonight, Junsu. I’ll call you before we take off.”

“I’ll be waiting!”

“Sunshine,” Yunho grumbles, as he tosses the phone aside. “I’ll give him sunshine, you just wait and see.”

Jaejoong is squashed as Yunho burrows them both under covers and he finds himself inexplicably laughing as Yunho’s face is buried in his neck, arms around each other tight. “Don’t worry, dearest Prince. You’re the only sunshine I need.”

— 

They eat dinner before calling Changmin. He had taken Haneul down to the Gardens for some air, because Haneul still needed to get out despite Jaejoong not setting foot beyond their quarters, and within the hour their private plane is prepped and ready to go whenever they are.

The problem is that somehow, the press had gotten wind of it.

“I need to face them at some point,” Jaejoong says.

“But it doesn’t have to be now. There are a million ways out of the palace that are not straight through a hoard of slobbering press.”

“Slobbering,” Haneul echoes, “what does slobbering mean?”

“Yes, tell us what slobbering means, Yunho.”

Explaining new words to Haneul always takes a long time because he has to know _everything_ about the word and Jaejoong tries not to look too smug as he leaves Yunho to it. 

“Jaejoong,” Yunho pleads, once Haneul is satisfied and Jaejoong is sitting in a wheelchair, ready to go.

“That’s enough. Your dislike is noted and filed, move on. I have to do this and you know it. So stop whining and let’s go. Come on Haneul, you can sit on my lap.”

Having Haneul right there helps. He holds onto him tight and Haneul reciprocates. Yunho pushes both of them, and for once, Yoochun is not following silently behind, but walking in front of them all, purposeful. He’s never had a need to be aggressive since arriving here with Jaejoong, but he remembers several very violent demonstrations of Yoochun’s skill set and he hopes today is not the day its put into action.

Changmin’s phone goes off as soon as they leave the private residence and he speaks quietly into it as they make their way through the halls. Jaejoong is not blind to the staff that poke their heads out of doors to get a look at him. He ignores it for the most part, happy to listen to Haneul tell him about how excited he is to swim in the sea and see all the fish Junsu has told him live there.

It passes the short time in the palace and before he knows it, Jaejoong can here the murmuring of the press. 

“There are more bodyguards to hold everyone back,” Changmin says, as Yoochun puts his hand on the door, “Just keep going and don’t answer any questions, sire.”

“This is not my first rodeo,” Yunho growls.

“If we’re lucky, your expression will scare them off.”

Jaejoong doesn’t need to look back at Yunho to know his face is probably thunderous with anger. Jaejoong’s only ever found it sexy, but he knows he’s the only one.

There’s a roar of sound, when the doors open. Jaejoong gets a glimpse of the car waiting for them and then it’s a sea of reporters, lights flashing in his face and he only stays grounded because Haneul shrinks back against him. “It’s okay,” he murmurs, “they’re making a fuss because of me. You don’t have to be scared.”

“I’m not scared,” Haneul says. Jaejoong kisses his cheek and hopes everyone caught it on camera.

Yoochun and the guards push the crowd apart and Yunho wheels them through at lightning speed. He lifts Haneul off of Jaejoong’s lap and sets him on the ground gently, and then offers a hand to Jaejoong. His ears are numb with noise and he doesn’t bother trying to make sense of the questions. It’s easy to guess the stupidity being spouted anyway.

He’s first in the car, the cacophony dulling somewhat and he takes a deep breath. 

He expects Haneul to follow, but Yunho’s son— _their_ four year old son—stands in front of the door to the car, looking at him. He looks incredibly like Yunho, in that moment, and then he turns, taking three huge steps towards the press before Yunho can stop him.

“Haneul?” Yunho asks.

But Haneul just stands there with his hands on his hips, the press towering over him, and Jaejoong knows the expression on his face, even if he can’t see it. It’s _Yunho’s_ expression, without a doubt. It doesn’t take long for the press to fall silent and Jaejoong cannot believe what he is seeing. He can’t believe what he is hearing.

“Stop. Bothering. Aeoo!” Haneul says. “He’s sick. He’s tired. Leave us alone.” It’s more than he’s ever spoken in public and Jaejoong can see the press gaping at him, like fish out of water, only a few seeming to remember that they have cameras in hand, the flashes few and far between.

Jaejoong doesn’t know if he should laugh or cry or even if he’s breathing. There isn’t a single sound as Haneul turns back around (and Jaejoong was right, he had been using Yunho’s press expression, the one Haneul had seen his father wear on television, the one Jaejoong had told him was to scare people that deserved it,) and climbs into the car and back onto Jaejoong’s lap.

Yunho, at least, seems to still be thinking. He follows in a split second and then Yoochun and Changmin, and the door of the limousine shuts to the sound of the press regaining their senses and the flashing starts again, the sounds of questions but it’s too late. They’re rolling away towards the airport leaving the press behind.

“Haneul,” Yunho begins, in his lecture voice. He’s angry. Jaejoong understands, to a certain extent, but he doesn’t think this is the time, so he lays a hand on Yunho’s arm to stop him.

“I don’t like them,” Haneul says.

Jaejoong tucks a little of Haneul’s hair behind his ear. “They were just doing their jobs.”

“It’s not a very nice job.”

“It’s an important one. But I’m so happy you stood up for me. Thank you, Haneul.”

“They’re mean.”

“Sometimes,” Jaejoong agrees, “yes.”

“You said when people are mean I have to stand up for them.”

Jaejoong almost laughs, but instead pulls him in closer. “Yes. I’m so proud of you. We both are. But sometimes it’s good to ignore them as well. Because if you acknowledge them it will only get worse.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You don’t have to, right now. You did a really brave thing. But let Appa deal with the press from now on, okay? All you have to do is be Haneul. That’s all I need, okay?”

Haneul finally relaxes, his head falling against Jaejoong’s shoulder. Jaejoong wants to hold him close forever. “Okay,” the prince whispers.

Yunho looks ready to cry. The anger had passed, it seems, because he’s never looked so proud in all the time Jaejoong’s know him. “Go sit with your Appa, Haneul.”

Yunho squeezes his son so tight Haneul complains, and Jaejoong pretends not to see the few tears that escape Yunho’s eyes.

“It’s already trending,” Changmin comments. “‘Jung Haneul Scolds the Press.’”

“That’s me!” Haneul says, from his cocoon of Yunho’s arm. 

“It’s you, it’s you,” Yunho says, and he’s laughing a little, showering his son with kisses. “Thank you Haneul. Thank you for doing what I couldn’t.”

“There’s pictures,” Changmin says, “and articles. And someone managed to get a cellphone video up. It’s only ten seconds, but still. _Already_.”

“Put your phone away, Shim Changmin,” Jaejoong orders, “it’s done. We are not going to worry about it. We are no longer going to think about it. Enough.”

“Yes, your majesty.” 

Changmin obeys, but Jaejoong can see his fingers twitching. Thankfully it’s a short drive and before he knows it, they’re pulling up to their private plane and Yunho’s hefting Haneul as he holds out his hand to Jaejoong. They walk slow and careful, their captain greeting them pleasantly and his attendants and co-captain bowing from wherever they are.

“We’ll go straight to bed I think,” Yunho tells them. “Changmin will fill you in on the details.”

It’s a long flight. They won’t arrive until late tomorrow and Jaejoong knows they’re going straight to Bora Bora because that’s where the villa Junsu’s reserved for them is. “Call Junsu before we take off,” he reminds Changmin.

They have time to change into something more comfortable as the plane goes through it’s final preparations and they buckle in as they lift into the air. Haneul stares out of the window and it’s only until they’re above the clouds and it’s too dark for him to see anything that Jaejoong can coax him into bed. There’s just enough room for all three of them and Jaejoong presses so many kisses to Haneul’s face he loses count.

“ _Aeoo_ ,” Haneul complains.

“Sorry, sorry. You’re right.”

Yunho sings him a lullaby and it’s so gentle and sweet Jaejoong almost falls asleep himself. “Come on,” Yunho murmurs, “we better talk to Changmin before his head explodes.”

Changmin’s on his laptop, typing furiously and Jaejoong takes immense pleasure in whacking the back of his head. Yoochun laughs. 

“Someone has to do something.” With no drivers or press or maids listening in, Changmin drops the formalities, as he usually does in such situations.

“No one is going to do anything,” Yunho says. “If the PR team needs to make a statement the only thing they will say is that we have been encouraging Haneul to speak his mind and that’s exactly what he did.”

“Yunho, your son—“

“That is it,” Yunho says, firm. “That is the end of it. Send it to the PR team and then put the goddamn laptop away and don’t touch it again until we land.” 

Changmin sulks, and not even Yoochun sidling up to sit beside him gets a smile. “We’re going to bed, please treat the staff kindly,” Yunho directs.

“He will,” Yoochun promises.

“Don’t bother waking us, Haneul will do that just fine.”

“See you in the morning,” Yoochun waves.

In the short time they’d been gone, Haneul had already sleep stripped his shirt off and Jaejoong chuckles, folding it and putting it away before getting into some sweats himself. They’d put on a fashion show for the reporters, but that’s the last Jaejoong wants to wear them until they go back home. They leave Haneul on one end of the bed where he’d rolled and Jaejoong curls into Yunho easy. “You raised an incredible son,” he whispers.

“We,” Yunho corrects, and Jaejoong’s heart warms, “ _We_ raised him.”

— 

 

The flight is uneventful. 

Haneul spends the time staring out the window at the clouds and watching his childrens’ shows loaded into the airplane’s media system. It gives Jaejoong time to read his books and Yunho to catch up on his world affairs. It’s cute to watch him try to read the english newspapers before breaking down and asking Yoochun for help.

“A world leader that’s useless at English is not very good,” Jaejoong chides.

“Hey, I can speak it pretty well,” Yunho pouts. “Reading is hard.”

“You can read Japanese just fine.”

“I studied Japanese more. I actually use Japanese.”

“Okay,” Jaejoong hums, “whatever you say.”

It’s incredible, Jaejoong finds, that he’s able to tease Yunho. Just being on the plane, on their way to a vacation of some sort, away from all their problems is already making him feel better. Yunho seems to think of that as well.

“You’re teasing me,” he says, looking awed, “you’re—Jaejoong! You’re teasing me.”

Yunho thinks it’s worth a kiss, and Jaejoong’s quite happy to oblige.

“When we get on the ground,” Yunho says, mouth not quite leaving Jaejoong’s, “we’re going to send Changmin and Yoochun away and we’re going to pawn Haneul off onto Junsu and I am going to lock you in a room and give you the most fantastic blow job you’ve ever received in your whole entire life. If you’re up for it, that is.”

“I guess we’ll have to see. That’s a hell of a promise to make. Are you sure you can deliver?”

Yunho grins. “Just you wait, Jaejoong-ah. Just you wait.”


	4. Chapter 4

Junsu’s waiting for them on the landing strip. 

Changmin gets to him first, as Yunho helps Jaejoong out of the plane and down the stairs, Haneul trailing behind with Yoochun. Junsu’s laughing, arms tight around Changmin and then he’s suddenly right there in Yunho’s face and Yunho almost cries. He’s missed his cousin dearly. 

“Hyung,” Junsu says, and he ends up hugging both Yunho and Jaejoong together because Jaejoong’s holding onto Yunho’s arm in order to stand. And it’s a little unfair, because after that, Jaejoong gets a hug all to himself. Yunho tries really hard not to be upset. Jaejoong does need all the hugs he can get, after all.

“I’m so happy you’re here. This villa I have for you is the best one. You won’t have to worry about anything at all, I promise. It even has a private beach.”

“Thank you,” Jaejoong murmurs, “I’m feeling better already.”

“I have dinner all planned out, it’s gonna be so great. My people will take your bags so don’t worry about it. Hi, Haneul!”

Finally, Junsu takes a breath, crouching down to ruffle Haneul’s hair and wait until Yunho prompts his son to give Junsu a hug. They haven’t interacted very much, in Haneul’s four short years. But Junsu sends him things, shells and books and trinkets, and they FaceTime and Skype so it’s enough for a tentative relationship. Haneul’s hug seems genuine, at least. “My favorite little prince. You’ve grown so much. I heard what you said to those reporters, you’re so brave!”

“I spoke my mind!’

“You did,” Junsu praises, “it was wonderful. Are you ready to swim? Come walk up front with me and I’ll tell you about all the things you can do here.”

By that time, Yoochun’s produced Jaejoong’s wheelchair and he settles into it, happy to bask in the warmth that had been rapidly disappearing back home. The sun feels so good on Yunho’s skin and he’s sure it feels just as lovely on Jaejoong’s. It certainly looks very pretty.

Changmin sidles up to them while Yoochun and Junsu are swinging Haneul between them. “He’s still in the news. Mostly good things, since I know you’re curious.”

“What did I say about that?” Yunho asks.

“I didn’t touch any device until the plane landed. I only looked once, I promise. It’s my job to keep you updated, Yunho.”

“It’s his job,” Jaejoong echoes. “Let him do it, Yunho.”

“Everyone’s got an opinion.”

But he’s secretly happy about it. Jaejoong’s teasing him, ganging up him. He’s healing, slowly and surely, the light coming back to his eyes, the warmth seeping back into his fingertips. _Finally_.

“One other thing,” Changmin starts. Yunho raises an eyebrow. “The paper apologized to Jaejoong, officially. There’s a copy of it in your e-mail if you want to read it.”

“I don’t. But that’s fine. Make sure they’re let back into the press room.”

“I will.”

“Are you done? I want to start my vacation with my family now.”

“Yes, sire.”

He’ll apologize later, when he’s not grumpy from a long plane ride and incessant need for Jaejoong’s kisses. Right now he just wants to stop talking about the country, wants to stop being a Prince, and take care of his family.

Junsu has a limousine waiting for them and even though Haneul’s been in limos more often than any other car, he still gets excited. It’s not _their_ limo after all and Yunho spends the whole ride with his arm around Jaejoong watching his son look out the window in awe. 

The drive is a little long and Yunho will probably never live this down but he falls asleep for a few minutes, waking up when Jaejoong presses a few kisses to his cheek. “Even after all that sleep on a plane?”

“Sleep on a plane is different.”

Jaejoong just hums, but he holds onto Yunho’s hand even as they get out of the limo.

The villa is gorgeous. It’s large enough for all of them, even Yoochun and Changmin, with enough space between rooms to give them all privacy. There’s a pool and a hot tub and they have a beautiful view of the ocean. And no press. No wandering tourists. It’s a completely secluded paradise and exactly what they need.

“This isn’t even on the internet,” Junsu tells them, “you have to know it exists to even rent it.”

“It’s incredible.”

“Jaejoong,” Yoochun calls.

He has the wheelchair out but Jaejoong waves him away. “I came here to get stronger. I want to walk for awhile.” He tugs at Yunho’s hand, “I want to put my feet in the sand. Haneul, let’s go!”

“We’ll load everything into the house,” Junsu says, “you go rest. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

“Thank you.”

There’s a wooden walkway down to the beach and Haneul runs the length of it five times before Yunho and Jaejoong finally get to the end. Yunho wastes no time getting his arms around Jaejoong, shoes and socks off, toes digging in the softest sand Yunho’s ever felt, and they stand there watching the sun set as Haneul runs into the water and then back out, shrieking.

Yunho decides to not care about propriety (since no one is there with them anyway,) and he tilts Jaejoong’s face up for a kiss. “You already look better.”

“I feel a little better. I think this is the longest I’ve stood up in awhile.”

“Is that a hint?”

They choose not to care about their clothes and Yunho does his best to anchor himself so Jaejoong can rest against him. Haneul is still playing catch me with the waves and his pants and shirt are thoroughly soaked. “Maybe we should have got him into a bathing suit first,” Yunho sighs.

“I don’t think he would have waited that long.”

“Probably not.”

They sit in silence for awhile, watching Haneul, Yunho landing sporadic kissing on Jaejoong’s skin when he feels like it, before there’s noise behind them and Junsu comes jogging onto the beach, grinning. “Dinner is ready,” he says. “I’ll go up with Haneul first, so you two take your time.”

“You’re a godsend.”

“Just observant. The wheelchair’s at the top of the walkway. Yoochun made me leave it there.”

Junsu and Haneul skip ahead of them, already dashing towards food and dry clothing, as Jaejoong finally gets to his feet. “I hate that Yoochun knows I need to sit down. I don’t want to thank him,” Jaejoong grumbles.

“I won’t breathe a word,” Yunho promises.

They walk slow and careful, Jaejoong leaning heavy on Yunho’s arm. Yet Yunho is anything but unhappy; this is the strongest Jaejoong’s been in a long while. Coming here was a very good decision.

By the time they make it back to the villa, Haneul is dry and in a new pair of clothes. No one mentions the wheelchair, for which Yunho is quite grateful, and the six of them sit down to a feast of local delicacies. Jaejoong eats so much, Yunho almost bursts out crying. Jaejoong had been so frail for so long.

“Where’s your brother and his wife?” Jaejoong asks.

“Keeping an eye on things in Tahiti,” Junsu answers, “Why, did you change your mind about her shooting things?”

“No,” Yunho says.

“What things?” Jaejoong asks.

“Important things,” Junsu continues. He’s in reach of Haneul and leads over to cover his ears for a second. “Dicks,” he says, “Noona wants to shoot off people’s dicks for you.”

Changmin snorts into his food and Yoochun reaches over to smack the back of his head.

“Aeoo!” Haneul pouts.

“No one needs to shoot anything,” Jaejoong says, and flicks at Junsu’s hands until they leave Haneul’s ears. “Eat your food, Haneul, Junsu was just joking.”

“Sorry, Haneul. I thought it would make Jaejoong laugh.”

“I can make Aeoo laugh.”

“I know. You’re so good at it.”

Yunho can’t help but think of the morning after he’d married Jaejoong, in which Jaejoong had made _Haneul_ laugh. It seems so long ago. 

“You look sad,” Jaejoong murmurs, when Haneul’s attention is back on Junsu.

“Happy,” Yunho insists, “I’m so, so happy.”

— 

 

Yunho corners Changmin after dinner, as Jaejoong tries to wrangle a very excited Haneul into proper attire for the night and Junsu disappears to call his brother. Yoochun is missing, but Yunho has a very good idea as to where he might have gone. A little while earlier, Jaejoong had pulled Yoochun aside for the exact same conversation Yunho’s about to have with Changmin right now.

“I’m sorry about what I said earlier. My tone. You were you just doing your job.”

“No, you were right. It could have waited. You’re here on vacation.”

“So are you. Changmin, this isn’t just for Jaejoong. It’s for you. For Yoochun. Go do your own thing. We all need a break and I didn’t bring you both here to work. Rest. Okay?”

Changmin looks ready to cry. “Thank you.”

“I rather imagination Yoochun’s been planning something for you the past hour. I’d go find him if I were you.”

He doesn’t need any more persuasion, turning away from Yunho and half running towards the other side of the villa. Yunho feels a little like a match maker. He feels bad because they get even less time together than Yunho and Jaejoong do, and he knows Yoochun and Changmin have both needed this.

He walks back to the dining table to find Jaejoong waiting for him. “Junsu took Haneul. They’re going to go look at the moon shining on the water and he’s going to put Haneul to bed. So you’ve got me to yourself all night.”

“Do I?”

Yunho sort of wants to scoop Jaejoong up in his arms and carry him to their bedroom but he’s not sure he has the energy for that. Especially if he’s going to need the energy for something else. He tries to just wheel Jaejoong into the bedroom but keeps bending down to land kisses on his cheek. The warm air is intoxicating, and even as they undress, Yunho has a hard time keeping his hands to himself.

“I owe you the most fantastic blow job you’ve ever received in your entire life,” Yunho pouts, when he sees Jaejoong pulling on sleep pants.

“I know. But I’m far too exhausted to appreciate it properly. Another night. I promise. Come up here and cuddle me to death instead. I’ll give you all the kisses in the world, since you haven’t been able to keep your mouth away from my body since we arrived here.”

“It’s all I want to do,” Yunho admits.

He supposes, as they stretch out on the bed and get lost in the feel of their mouths, that the best kisses in the entire world are a good alternative (the only good alternative) to the best blow job in the entire world. 

— 

The first full day on Bora Bora they spend on the beach, all six of them. They look more rested than they have in weeks, despite the hickeys all over Yoochun and Changmin’s skin that mean a super late night and despite the hours Yunho and Jaejoong had spent making out. 

Jaejoong spends the majority of the day in the shade, sitting comfortably in a chair under an umbrella and getting out to dip his toes in the water every so often. Haneul spends it all in the water, Yunho or Jaejoong reapplying his sunscreen every time he gets out. At this rate they’re going to need a bottle a day.

Junsu is everywhere: playing with Haneul, teasing Changmin, talking to Jaejoong. Sometimes he heads back up to the house to make phone calls, because out of them all, he is still working. Yunho’s missed him, his smiles and energy. He resolves to make sure they visit each other more often.

The second night, Jaejoong turns on his laptop. 

“What are you doing?” Yunho asks, siting behind him, running hands up and down Jaejoong’s arms. He can’t resist kissing his husband’s neck.

“I’m going to make a blog post.”

“About what?”

“Thanking the people that supported me. And I’m going to include a few pictures. The one of Haneul burying you in the sand earlier. Last night’s sunset. We can’t be totally MIA.”

Yunho would really like to be that way but he knows Jaejoong’s right. “Should we take one of us?”

“Later. I want to not look so sick. It won’t be good if no one thinks this is helping me.”

“You look so much better.” Yunho kisses him again.

“Let’s wait.”

“Let’s take one of us anyway and not post it.”

They take a lot—maybe what most people would consider too many, but for Jaejoong there’s no such thing. There’s never enough photos and the only reason they stop is because they start taking pictures of them kissing and the shutter sounds as Yunho kisses lower and lower, and then the phone gets tossed out of the way as Yunho travels back up to Jaejoong’s mouth and kisses him properly (far too well to focus on anything else.)

Neither of them are ready for more. Jaejoong’s still not up to par in terms of stamina and Yunho will wait forever if need be. “Supposed to be posting,” Jaejoong murmurs.

“Kissing is more important.”

“ _Yunho_.”

Yunho hopes his face expresses his reluctance as he pulls away. Still, there’s a hickey on Jaejoong’s collarbone and Yunho brushes it with his thumb, proud. He’s missed marking Jaejoong’s skin.

“Such a whiner,” Jaejoong teases. 

“Hurry and write your post. I have a whole list of things I intend to do to you before the night is through.”

— 

The third day (or fourth, they’re all running together pleasantly,) Yunho gets a sunburn. He’d properly put on sunscreen but either it had washed away or hadn’t been enough. It isn’t too terrible, but it hurts to lay on his back and Jaejoong laughs as he rubs aloe into Yunho’s skin. “You should have sat in the shade with me.”

“It’s because Changmin wasn’t there to nag me,” Yunho decides.

“I was nagging you enough for him. This is your own fault.”

“Nope, it’s Changmin’s.”

“You were the one that told Changmin to do his own thing. He and Yoochun didn’t leave their room for breakfast, let alone a swim.”

“What are they even doing?” Yunho grumbles.

“I saw bruises on Changmin’s wrists last night. Are you really sure you want to know?”

“God, no.”

“You’re just upset because they’re doing things you wish we were doing.”

“No,” Yunho lies, feeling guilty.

His ass is tapped and his stomach swoops as Jaejoong bends down to whisper in his ear, “Don’t worry, love. I’ll be well enough for that soon. We have all the time in the world. I promise.” 

Not all the time in the world, Yunho thinks, but perhaps just enough.

 

—

 

The next day, Yunho decides that maybe he should check his e-mail, in case there was a huge earthquake or someone important died. Thankfully, neither of those things happened, but there is a message from the palace that his preliminary trial papers went through and a date has been set. There haven’t been any reporters writing stupid stories and the general feel from the citizens is that they are leaning back in Jaejoong’s favor.

It’s a load off for sure.

He goes to find Jaejoong to tell him the news and grins, when he discovers him sitting at the pool’s edge with Yoochun, Changmin in the water with Haneul, flotation devices secure.

“The world still spinning?” Jaejoong asks.

“Quite wonderfully,” Yunho nods, and relays the news.

“I ought to send some things back home. Flowers or something. Fruit and gift baskets from here. To say thank you for all the support.”

“If you want. I’ll have Junsu arrange it.”

The pool water is warm, much less harsh than the ocean, and Jaejoong leans into him as they watch Haneul and Changmin play. “What are those—“ Yunho frowns, “Marks? Lines? On Changmin’s—“

“Don’t ask,” Jaejoong interrupts, “I already did and you don’t want to know the answer.”

“Okay,” Yunho feels a little ill. 

“He’s fine,” Yoochun says, “thanks for your concern.”

“Aeoo!” Haneul shouts waving this hand. “I’m swimming!”

“You’re doing so well,” Jaejoong coos, “swim over here and tickle your Appa’s feet under the water.”

“Hey now, that’s unnecessary.”

“I don’t think so,” Jaejoong says. 

Yunho gets a kiss for staying where he is until Haneul makes it over to him, watched carefully by Changmin, and tries his hardest to reach Yunho’s toes. He doesn’t make it but when Haneul starts to insist he’s touching Yunho’s feet, he pretends to laugh.

“Do you want a snack, Haneul? Dinner isn’t for another few hours.”

To his surprise, Jaejoong lifts Haneul out of the pool. Yunho can’t believe it, and neither can Haneul, because he screeches with delight, even if Jaejoong puts him down a second later. Yunho kisses them both, grinning.

“Coming?” He asks Changmin.

His aide has his hands on the pool edge to haul himself out but Yoochun gets his foot on Changmin’s shoulder and pushes him back into the water. “I think another few laps would be good for you,” he says, “I’ll watch. Those pretty muscles should be shown off, don’t you think?” Changmin obeys instantly and Yunho decides he’s learned far too much about the two of them in these few shorts days then he has ever wanted to know.

“Yunho?” Jaejoong calls.

He has his hand in Haneul’s and they’re both waiting expectantly.

Jaejoong looks gorgeous. He’s glowing under the sun, hair slightly too long but so beautiful, his smile bright and genuine and Yunho feels his whole body warm at the sight. 

“Love you,” He says, when he catches up to them. He lifts Haneul into his arms, wet bathing suit and all.

“Love!” Haneul shrieks, clinging to Yunho like a barnacle.

“You’ve been spending too much time around Junsu,” Jaejoong says, wincing.

“Is Junsu coming back tonight?”

“He’ll be here for dinner.”

“He said he would take me to a tree house!”

“Tomorrow,” Jaejoong corrects. “Let’s get you dried off and then I’ll make you a snack, okay?”

“An Aeoo snack!” Haneul screams.

Definitely too much time around Junsu, Yunho thinks, and hopes this level of noise is not going to be permanent.

— 

A week into their vacation, Jaejoong pins Yunho to the bed with a look in his eye. “You’ve been staring at me for days.”

“You’re glowing. You’re beautiful. A little skinnier, but you’ve got a sparkle in your eye again. You don’t need the wheelchair anymore. You’re better.”

“Mostly,” Jaejoong agrees. 

“Besides, where else am I going to look?”

“The sunset. The mountains. We’re in a pretty exotic location.”

“None of them are quite as lovely as you.”

They’d been leading up to this for days, since before they had landed on the island, and the relief is palpable. There’s no thinking involved, no words spoken, just an understanding between the both of them. Haneul is with Junsu, Yoochun and Changmin are off hiking a mountain on the other side of the island. It’s just the two of them, Jaejoong and Yunho, with nothing to worry about except pleasing the other.

And they’ve gotten so very, very good at that: a long way from when Yunho was unsure of how to give Jaejoong a simple kiss.

They don’t last very long. Yunho can’t believe (hasn’t noticed) how starved he’d been of Jaejoong’s touch. A brush of skin to lips is like a thousand of them, burning right through to his soul and he loses himself in the motion. He doesn’t have to think about it anymore, doesn’t have to make sure he does all of things Jaejoong’s likes. It’s muscle memory, the way they touch, the way they always find new ways to make each other gasp.

Jaejoong holds him as Yunho comes, thrusts stuttering as he floats and he almost apologizes but then remembers, as Jaejoong’s kisses his cheeks and murmurs into his ear and grinds against him, that he owes his husband the best blow job ever. Still, he’s trembling, and he has to wait, fills the time with kisses until he gets his mouth on Jaejoong’s cock, sucks him down until Yunho’s eyes water from it, hand sliding through spit and lube and come until he remembers he has two of them and he gets his fingers inside of Jaejoong.

He doesn’t draw it out, doesn’t tease, makes Jaejoong feel _pleasure pleasure pleasure_ until he’s overwhelmed, so that nothing else matters but Yunho and Jaejoong and this—this physical manifestation of a love that couldn’t ever be more perfect.

Yunho wakes from his bliss to kisses against his cheek. “Jaejoong?”

“Well, I certainly hope so,” Jaejoong murmurs against his mouth. “Should I be worried that you had to ask?”

“Just making sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

“Not this time,” Jaejoong promises.

“Where’s Haneul?”

“Give me a proper kiss and maybe I’ll tell you.”

Yunho has to oblige, even if it’s only for a few moments. They had showered last night but it hadn’t made a dent in making them smell any better. His legs still fingers still feel a little sticky. “Gonna run a bath,” he murmurs. 

“Now we’re talking.”

“Haneul?” Yunho asks again, as he walks into the bathroom.

“Went with Junsu to see the sun rise. They’ll be back soon.”

The water isn’t unbearably hot and it’s easy to maintain a good temperature. Yunho dumps a few bath bombs in that he finds in a cupboard and they sink into the water with appreciative groans. There’s even a ledge for them to sit on and they rest their heads together as they relax. The heat feels so nice, even in the warming day, soothing much more than just aching muscles.

Yunho threads their fingers together under the growing mound of bubbles. “I can’t imagine loving anyone but you. Just so you know.”

“No one?”

“Not like this.”

Yunho hand is squeezed harder and he knows it’s Jaejoong returning his feelings. Maybe he’s too choked up to speak or he just doesn’t want to, but it doesn’t matter. Yunho knows. 

He thinks that’s the end of it, but then Jaejoong speaks, quiet and a little hesitant. “There were a few mornings when I woke up wondering…is this the last time? Is this the day I lose everything?” He shudders, despite Yunho’s hands squeezing tighter and kissing his tempe. “I doubted you for a little while. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I doubted myself for a few days. You don’t have to be sorry. It was a disaster all around.”

“You’re my husband.”

“And we’re both human. Yet we made it through, so let’s stop with apologies right now. The one person we get to be mad at is your uncle. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Jaejoong finally nods.

It’s hard to keep his lips from Jaejoong’s skin as they scrub each other, hard to not to go back and caress the softer parts of his body, hard to keep his thoughts straight in the face all Jaejoong’s nakedness. He looks so good—better than he has in weeks, better even than last night. Yunho wants to start this vacation all over again. 

But they have a mess to get back to sorting. “When do you want to go home?” Yunho asks, kissing Jaejoong’s cheek. 

“Never,” Jaejoong admits, “let’s stay here forever.”

If only, Yunho wishes. “I want a few days with this healthy Jaejoong. See if we can’t have the others watch Haneul one or two more nights.”

“That sounds perfect.”

 

— 

They stay two more days. Two days of sun and warmth and swimming. Two days of playing with Haneul and short walks along the beach or through the forest. Two days of all the different kinds of food Junsu can produce and two days of Jaejoong finally sampling alcohol again, forgetting (not caring) about the bitter taste of the whiskey on his uncle’s lips.

The nights they spend together. In bed, in the tub, on the floor. Junsu slyly shows them a private little alcove in the woods that has a pool and they make very good use of that. 

Yunho wants to drown in Jaejoong, wants to never leave his arms, always be able to kiss him. No one’s ever made him feel so good before and he takes it as a challenge to make sure that Jaejoong feels the same way.

The last night Haneul crawls into bed with them, bags mostly packed, the muted sounds of Changmin on the phone planning their return. 

“Did you have a fun week?” Jaejoong asks him.

“Yes,” Haneul says, “so much. I love Junsu!”

“I’m so glad.”

“Did you rest a lot? Are you better? You look happy, Aeoo.”

“I’m so happy,” Jaejoong whispers, “thank you, Haneul.”

“I won’t say anything when we go back,” Haneul promises, “I’ll let Appa talk to the press, just like you asked.”

“Good.”

Yunho was sure his mood couldn’t possibly get any better, but it does, when Haneul asks Jaejoong for a lullaby and Jaejoong complies. Tears of relief seem silly, but there they are, and Jaejoong wipes them away after Haneul’s breathing evens out, smile brilliant. They don’t speak, for fear of waking him, but they don’t need to either. They’re happy again.

Sleep has never come easier.

 

— 

 

Home, when they arrive, is less chaotic than when they left, though no less active than usual. 

Jaejoong carries Haneul into the palace amid the flashing bulbs of reporters. Yunho falls headfirst into the trial, preparing everything before handing it over to the prosecutor, seeing as he can’t really do it himself. Jaejoong blogs, reads books, goes back to work at his publishing company. Yunho oversees several new laws and makes a point to invite Junsu to the palace, to make sure his cousin knows he’s welcome, whenever he wants. 

Life doesn’t go back to the way it was, once Jaejoong’s uncle is punished, but it’s fine. It’s not the normal they had a few months ago but Yunho doesn’t mind. This way is good too.

This happy ending is absolutely perfect.


End file.
